Pubs are finding innovative ways to provide you with good cheer, without costing the earth, says Phil Mellows.

Pubs are places you usually go to escape the troubles of the world. But that shouldn’t stop them playing their part in saving the planet.

I’ve just finished judging the finalists in the Best Sustainable Pub Company category of the 2022 Publican Awards (winners announced at the end of March), and what’s striking is what a complex business running a pub is, and how many ways there are of cutting carbon emissions and waste.

Much fuss was made when plastic straws were removed from cocktails and soft drinks a couple of years ago, but that’s the very least a bar can do. Its responsibilities stretch from making sure its supplies are sustainably sourced to efficient glass-washing and devising a menu that helps reduce leftovers on the plate.

Heineken, the global brewer, recently produced a Pub of the Future report that details some of the gains that might, or must, be made over the next decade, and my own judging visits in the last few weeks have uncovered all kinds of inspiring initiatives.

Pubs are aware that their customers are increasingly switched on to buying and behaving in ways that protect the environment, and they want to show people they can be a part of the solution.

Most of what they’re doing goes on out of sight. Beneath your barstool the beer cellar is using energy to chill the beer, the kitchen might be trying to wean itself off the clingfilm and the thing you’re sitting on might have been recycled from an earlier life.

Up on the roof there may be space for solar panels, or even beehives producing the honey for that dessert.

Plant-based dishes have been quietly growing on the menu alongside local produce to cut down on the food miles. Coffee grounds are recycled as garden compost and superfluous garnishes have gone from drinks and meals. Only the hungry bin will complain.

Have you noticed anything your local is doing to help save the planet? Let us know at Newham Voices.

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